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Photograph by Richard Davenport.
The electrifying performances of Niamh Cusack had the audience on the edge of their seats. There is a powerful and convincing chemistry between the two protagonists as they will one another to contemplate a murder that will shake the established order and unleash a violent chain reaction.
The tension is heightened by a soundscape of thunderclaps and lightening bolts that flash and fizz through the theatre reminding us of the traditional accompaniments of the horror film. Meanwhile the monochrome set is captioned with ominous lines from the play, dire warnings that will result from Macbeth’s murderous actions.
An ingenious piece of stagecraft is the hospitality box that looks down upon the main stage and enables the Macbeths to plot whilst other actors are unaware of the evil deeds being planned elsewhere.
Original features of this production include the lugubrious porter who constantly patrols the stage with his Eubank carpet sweeper. Enigmatic and malicious by turns. The witches are played by three young girls in pink onesies offering Macbeth their misleading riddles. Eerie and unsettling , do the girls presage the revenge that Macbeth will suffer for destroying the future?
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